How to Recover a Corrupted SD Card

There is no doubt that SD cards have become a reliable solution for storing photos, videos, and other important files. However, they are not immune to corruption, which can put you at risk of data loss. Once the optimal recovery window is missed, only backups can save the day. If you are searching for how to recover a corrupted SD card on Google, this guide is your go-to choice. Here we will share common reasons behind SD card corruption. Plus, we will explain how to recover files from a corrupted SD card in language that computer novices can understand. Let’s get started!

Overview of Corrupted SD Card Recovery

How Does an SD Card Become Corrupted/Unreadable?

There are various reasons why your SD card can become corrupted or unreadable. Some common ones include:

What to Do Before Corrupted SD Card Recovery?

Before we discuss how to recover photos/videos from a corrupted SD card, here are a few things worth considering.

• Create a Backup Image of the SD card: The first step for corrupted SD card recovery is to make a complete copy of the card’s data. Using the backup image, you can perform data recovery multiple times with different methods or tools without risking the integrity of the original data.
• Assign a Drive Letter: On some occasions, the SD card might not show up in File explorer because of drive letter conflicts. To resolve this, you need to assign a new, unused drive letter to the SD card.
• Evaluate Your Technical Skill Level: There’s absolutely no need to feel ashamed of your limited technical knowledge. If you’re a novice, you might prefer using intuitive software tools that guide you through the recovery process.

How to Recover Files from a Corrupted SD Card?

Option A: Use a Free Data Recovery Software

Let’s take a close look at how to recover data from a damaged SD card. We understand you wouldn’t want to invest too much before a successful recovery, so it’s often recommended to start with free data recovery software. As long as your SD card can still be detected by the computer, 4DDiG allows you to recover deleted/lost files with just one click. This recovery tool is beginner-friendly, risk-free, and suitable for all common data loss scenarios. Some of its key features include:

• Supports various SD card file systems, including FAT, FAT32, exFAT, NTFS and more.
• Allows you to recover a corrupted SD card in just 3 simple steps.
• Impressive success rate for corrupted SD card recovery.
• Provides a clean and simple interface.
• offers a free trial that allows users to recover up to 2GB of data.
• Works on both Windows and Mac.

Given below is a guide on how to recover photos/videos from a corrupted SD card with the help of 4DDiG:

Step 1: To begin, connect the corrupted SD Card to your computer. Download and install the 4DDiG Free Data Recovery program. After launching the tool, pick your SD card from the main interface and click “Scan” to proceed. To save time, 4DDiG allows you to scan only the file types that need to be recovered.

Step 2: After a quick scan, 4DDiG will conduct a deep scan on the damaged SD card to find any lost data. You can use the scan result filters to quickly locate the target file. This feature is very useful because 4DDiG may find thousands of recoverable files during the scanning process.

Step 3: Once the scan is completed, take some time to preview the recoverable files that 4DDiG has found. If everything is fine, select the target files and click on “Recover.” You can choose to save them to cloud storage or to a local disk, but remember not to save them back to the original SD card.

Option B: Run Check Disk

If the file system of your SD card is damaged, it cannot be opened or accessed in Windows Explorer. Sometimes, your computer might not even recognize the corrupted SD card. The good news is that Windows provides a built-in utility called CHKDSK to fix this issue. To recover a corrupted SD card, follow the given steps:

Step 1: Begin with typing cmd in the Windows search bar. From search results, launch Command Prompt with administrator privileges.

Step 2: In CMD, type the chkdsk E: /f and hit the Enter key. Replace E: with the drive letter of your damaged SD card.

Step 3: After CHKDSK finishes, try opening your SD card again through File Explorer.

Option C: Use the Attrib Command

SD card corruption may cause file attributes to change, which means that the affected files will no longer be visible or accessible in File Explorer. The “attrib” command in CMD is quite handy in such situations because it allows you to manage file attributes directly from the command line. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to recover files from a corrupted SD card with it:

Step 1: Launch CMD as per the previous steps.

Step 2: Once CMD is open, type attrib -r -s -h /s /d E:*.* and hit Enter (again, replace E: with the drive letter of your SD card).

Step 3: After running the command, check File Explorer to see if your files are now visible.

Option D: Check Backup

With a backup, you can say goodbye to any worries about how to recover data from a corrupted SD card. In fact, there’s nothing like having everything saved on a cloud drive. You can access or download your files from anywhere with an internet connection. Additionally, many cloud services offer version history features, allowing you to revert to previous versions of files, which is particularly useful if you need to recover from accidental changes or deletions. 

Option E: Hire a Data Recovery Service

Still wondering how to recover photos/videos from a corrupted SD card? If the above solutions don’t work for you, it’s best to contact a trusted recovery service. This is especially true when your SD card is physically damaged. Without specialized tools and techniques, it’s almost impossible to repair a corrupted SD card at home. You might complain that they often charge high fees and require multiple days for recovery. Compared to spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars, losing your crucial files permanently is more frustrating. After that, you should make a habit of backups in case of data loss or corruption.

Final Thoughts

With the right tools and methods, there’s a good chance to recover data from your corrupted SD card. Remember to back up the SD card before proceeding with any operations, and handle it with care to avoid further damage. If you’re not ready to spend big dolloars on corrupted SD card recovery, give Tenorshare 4DDiG a try. You can use it for free on more than 2000 storage devices, including SD cards. Furthermore, it can detect and fix damaged data within video files during recovery.